California is known for being at the forefront of fitness and health, and it is no surprise that the Golden State also hosts a huge and diverse sector of Pilates professionals, with many of them living in and around the San Francisco Bay Area—a vast region that stretches from San Jose to Marin to Walnut Creek and beyond. Some instructors work in or own studios while others work their trade from a home environment. The Bay Area Pilates Collective is an avenue for each and every one of them to be heard as one voice.

The inaugural meeting of the Bay Area Pilates Collective (BAPC) was held on Saturday August 9, 2008, at EHS Pilates in San Francisco. The initial goal was to create a community by putting faces to names and starting dialogues regarding the current Pilates industry. The 55 attendees ranged from the individual home studio owner to the larger and more corporate studios. Special guests included Marie-Jose Blom (Long Beach Dance Conditioning); Nora St. John (Turning Point Studios, Balanced Body University); Elizabeth Larkam (Pilates & Beyond, San Francisco Bay Club) and Lizz Roman (EHS Rehabilitation Department).

Blom, as a board member of the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA), was gracious enough to take notes on topics pertaining to the PMA and she plans to present them at the next board meeting to address our needs and concerns.

Discussions included: shaping a voice for the Bay Area Pilates community; scope of practice and the line between employees versus independent contractors. A speech made by St. John, was truly inspirational with the message of supporting, not policing the industry, and Roman called out the elephant in the room…to rehab or not to rehab? It seems clarification is still needed in the terminology used to describe the varied types of Pilates we all practice.

Throughout the evening, there was honest and optimistic communication with a true desire to nurture a network of support among Bay Area studios that will benefit all involved.

As a collective, we anticipate opening communication channels with the PMA and having the opportunity to open and maintain discussion forums in the near future. Even more exciting, many attendees approved of the proposition of pooling our resources for such things as group health insurance, credit card processing, marketing and advertising.

Suggestions for future meetings included “play dates” with classes being taught in “round robin style” sharing thoughts and ideas on ways to help our “one voice” be heard.

Future plans for the Bay Area Pilates Collective are to meet every other month; one being a “play date” with “round robin” format and the alternating more of a business meeting and hosting of an out-of-town guest instructor. The next meeting will be held in October (date TBA) at the San Francisco Bay Club with Larkam hosting and back at EHS on February 7, 2009, with Blom.

Thanks to all that participated in the event, and we look forward to what the future holds for this amazing, unique group. Personally, this initial gathering left me feeling appreciative for being able to take part in this incredibly knowledgeable and amazing community and for the regenerative profession that we share in common.

If you would like to become a part of the Bay Area Pilates Collective, please contact Nancy Myers at EHS Pilates by calling 415-285-5808 or emailing nancy@ehspilates.com.